Organic September
Help make this year’s Organic September organised by the Soil Association the biggest yet. The benefits of going organic include:
- Supporting biodiversity and wildlife
- Helping to combat climate change
- Supporting the highest standards of animal welfare
- Reduced exposure to pesticides
- Eating foods in their most natural state
For information on how to get involved visit the soil association website.
Migraine Awareness Week
This year’s migraine awareness week organised by the Migraine Trust[i] runs from September 6th – 12th. And if you are a sufferer you will know only too well how migraines can have a huge impact on your life.
There are several over-the-counter medications as well as prescription medicines, which may help to bring relief. But if you would prefer to go down a more natural route the herbal remedy feverfew may help to ease the pain[ii].
Feverfew leaves can be boiled to make a tea-like infusion (use up to half a teaspoon of the dried herb per cup), or taken in supplement form. No one knows for sure why feverfew works but it is thought that its leaves contain substances with anti-inflammatory properties. Don’t expect immediate results though as you need to take feverfew for several months before you can expect to see results.
The importance of sleep and our ability to learn new things
It is well known that a good night’s sleep has an important role to play in health, from helping to lower the risk of obesity and cardiovascular problems to improving concentration and daily overall performance. And now a new study from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine reports that sleep may also help us to learn continuously throughout life[iii].
It seems that a good night’s sleep helps prevent damage to old memories while consolidating new ones. Without a good night’s sleep, however, new memories may erase old ones.
‘We predict that during the sleep cycle, both old and new memories are spontaneously replayed, which prevents forgetting and increases recall performance,’ said Maksim Bazhenov, PhD, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at UC San Diego.
The NHS recommend that most adults need between 6 to 9 hours of good quality sleep a night for optimum health[iv]. Natural remedies, such as passionflower and valerian, have been found to help promote healthy sleep patterns while relieving anxiety without the risk of side effects, such as feeling groggy when waking.
[i] www.migrainetrust.org/
[ii] Fever few (Tanacetum pantheism) Wider B, Pittler MH, Ernst E. Feverfew for preventing migraine. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2015, Issue 4. Art. No.: CD002286. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002286.pub3
[iii] elifesciences.org/articles/51005
[iv] www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/
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